Tablets + cloud vs. desktop PCs

March 5, 2012

Windows on an iPad? Believe it. (Credit: Onlive)

As the action moves to tablets, mobile devices, and the cloud, what’s the future for the desktop PC?

Dim, according to OnLive, Inc., which has just introduced Onlive Desktop Plus, which displays a Windows 7 desktop on an iPad, with the full, latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, Adobe Reader, and Flash videos, plus 5 GB of cloud storage.

The trick:a high-speed server farm in the cloud runs the programs and streams gigabit/second screen images to your iPad (limited only by your Internet connection).

A free version is also available, and versions for Android tablets, iPhones, iPod Touches, Macs and PCs, and TV sets are coming.

In an attempt to catch up and remain relevant, Microsoft just released a sneak peek of Windows 8, the next major rethink of its operating system, expected to go on sale later this year, Technology Review reports.

In an “If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em” move, Microsoft built an OS that does it all (instead of developing one version of Windows for tablets and another for desktops — as Apple has done with OSX and iOS).